Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier championship of

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

road racing, which has been divided into three classes since

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: 125cc, 250cc and MotoGP. Former classes that have been discontinued include 350cc, 50cc/80cc and

Sidecar A sidecar is a one-wheeled device attached to the side of a motorcycle, scooter, or bicycle, making the whole a three-wheeled vehicle. A motorcycle with a sidecar is sometimes called a ''combination'', an ''outfit'', a ''rig'' or a ''hack''. ...

. The premier class is MotoGP, which was formerly known as the 500 cc class. The Grand Prix Road-Racing World Championship was established in 1949 by the sport's governing body, the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), and is the oldest motorsport World Championship in existence. The motorcycles used in MotoGP are purpose-built for the sport, and are unavailable for purchase by the general public because they cannot be legally ridden on public roads. From the mid-1970s to 2002, the top class of GP racing allowed 500cc with a maximum of four cylinders, regardless of whether the engine was a

two-stroke A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being completed in one revolution of ...

or four-stroke. Rule changes were introduced in 2002, to facilitate the phasing out of two-stroke engines. Each season consists of 12 to 18 Grands Prix contested on closed circuits, as opposed to public roads. Points earned in these events count toward the riders' and constructors' world championships. The riders' and constructors' championship are separate championships, but are based on the same point system. The number of points awarded at the end of each race to the top 15 qualifying riders depends on their placement. Points received by each finisher, from first place to 15th place: 25, 20, 16, 13, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Historically, there have been several points systems. Results from all current Grands Prix count towards the championships; in the past, only a certain number of results were counted. Giacomo Agostini has won the most championships, with eight, including a record seven championships in succession from 1966 to

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...

Marc Márquez Marc Márquez Alentà (born 17 February 1993) is a Spanish professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer, who has raced for Honda's factory team since his MotoGP debut in 2013. Born in Cervera, Catalonia, Spain, he is nicknamed the 'Ant of Cer ...

is the youngest to win the championship; he was 20 years and 266 days old when he became champion in

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. Italian riders have won the most championships; six riders have won a total of twenty championships. Riders from Great Britain have won the second most; six riders have won a total of seventeen championships. Riders from the United States have won the third most, as seven riders have won a total of fifteen championships.

Leslie Graham Robert Leslie Graham (14 September 1911 – 12 June 1953) was a British motorcycle road racer who competed in the 1930s and 1940s. He won the inaugural Grand Prix motorcycle racing 500 cc World Championship in 1949. Early Career (1929 ...

won the inaugural championship in 1949.

Champions

* The "Season" column refers to the season the competition was held, and

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s to the article about that season. * The "Margin" column refers to the margin of points by which the winner defeated the runner-up.

By season

Multiple champions

* Bold indicates active rider.

By constructor

By nationality

References

Bibliography * General * Specific {{DEFAULTSORT:List of 500cc MotoGP Motorcycle World Champions 500cc Motogp World Champions Moto 500